Sanctuary
by Frostylicious
Summary: She always felt so composed when she heard her guardian angel speak. Although it appeared to be gruff and slightly menacing, she took comfort in it. He, out of everyone and everything in the whole wide world, was her sanctuary.


Hi everyone! This is my first South Park fanfiction. I have never written for the fandom before. I think I blame the episode The Poor Kid... and partially my older brother. I just absolutely adore Kenny and Karen's relationship so much! Overprotective big brothers are the best! ^^ It's so cute to see how they interact with one another.

So I finally tried an idea... I imagined Kenny being over at a sleepover and suddenly having a sixth sense that Karen was in trouble and comes to her rescue. Oh dear, plotholes... the nightmare, while I tried to write about it, I didn't really want the story to lag on, so I decided to cut it out. Sorry! But I hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own South Park. It rightfully belongs to Trey Parker & Matt Stone, and South Park Studios!

* * *

Sanctuary

Kenny jolted awake. He scrambled out of his sleeping bag and rummaged through his things, hoping that he would leave the room quietly and go unnoticed by his friends. That's when a familiar shadow fell upon him. The blonde froze. Very slowly, he looked over his shoulder to see that it was Kyle who had risen from his pillow. The Jewish boy had tired circles under his eyes. He blew a curly lock of red hair from his face, only for it to fall back into its same spot, much to his irritation.

"Kenny?" whispered Kyle in a curious tone. "Dude, it's…" He glanced to check the glowing digital clock on the nightstand. "Aw, dude! It's nearly one in the morning. Go back to bed…"

Kyle was about to roll over and get comfortable until his eyes caught the infamous green question mark that attached itself to a cloaked hood. Kyle sat up in bed. His eyes had grown from exhaustion to amazement as he watched the alter-ego of one of his buddy's fasten a belt around his waist. A sleepy Stan followed his best friend's suit, though his blurred focus was on his surroundings. His bedroom was dark, despite the gleaming numbers of the clock and the brightness from a streetlight just outside. The only noise that caught Stan's ears was the sound of rain pattering against the window and Cartman's loud snoring from the other side of the bedroom.

"What's going on, Kyle?" asked Stan. He was half-asleep. Kyle shrugged.

"I was just going to ask Kenny the same thing," he said. "Kenny, why are you dressed as My—"

Both of the boys turned their heads to find nothing. Kenny had vanished! Stan and Kyle exchanged confused glances when they heard the front door of the Marsh residence open and close. They didn't even hear Kenny's footsteps when he ran down the staircase. They crawled on their hands and knees to the bedroom window, both hands on the sill while their faces pushed up against the glass to catch a glimpse of the mysterious vigilante.

"Whoa geez, dude," whispered Stan hoarsely. Together they watched as Kenny rushed off into the rainy night until he disappeared from sight. "I guess it's a big deal when the Mysterion costume comes on."

Kyle nodded in agreement. "Yeah, no kidding. The crazy bastard."

* * *

Rain was no match for him; the cold blast of wind didn't seem too difficult, either. But the slippery fire escapes and rooftops were bit of a challenge now and then. However, Mysterion pressed on, losing his balance here and there as he leapt and climbed through the town of South Park. A little cold weather wasn't going to make him forfeit that easily. He traveled across the train tracks and finally reached his destination; an old green bungalow. It also had a detached garage with a beat-up station wagon in the driveway, which was in desperate need for a replacement tire or two. Various items were scattered among the snow-covered yard that were mostly shattered bottles of whiskey or beer cans. As Mysterion ventured toward the back of the house, an odor entered his nostrils. It was wretched with swirls of alcohol and burnt toaster waffles.

_Home sweet home_, he thought sarcastically with his permanent frown. But now was not the time to criticize his broken home.

Someone needed him; someone who was really special to him. And he wasn't about to break that promise to her.

Without a second thought, Mysterion climbed into a shattered window and peered into the small room. There he saw the outline of a little girl lying on a flat mattress with only the comfort of her dolly and blanket. Mysterion knew that she was fast asleep, but there were soft cries of distress. He caught a shiver or two from the rush of wind that blew into the room, making her tremble from the cold. Beyond that rough exterior of Mysterion, Kenny sighed heavily. His little sister didn't deserve to have such nightmares. And although he did not hear one complaint about having to sleep on a mattress with one tiny blanket and having to live with a broken window, he thought that she deserved so much more. In his eyes, Karen McCormick—his baby sister—deserved the world.

Mysterion quietly approached his little sleeping beauty and knelt down beside the mattress. He examined her face and noticed that she had been crying… He wedged a gloved hand through her tiny fingers and squeezed them gently, then sighed with his head lowered and eyes closed. What did his parents do this time? Kick Kevin out? Bicker back and forth? What a typical thing to do on a Friday night while getting drunk until dawn. His free hand clenched into a fist. Sometimes he wished that Karen would have enough friends so she could have a weekend away from this hellhole what they called home.

Mysterion bent over and quickly kissed his sibling's forehead; it was a soft, chaste kiss. Like it was a secret message telling her that everything was going to be okay in the end. After all, he was her guardian angel.

All of a sudden, there was a tiny moan from the littlest McCormick. Mysterion immediately pulled away to give his sister some space and watched her stretch. Karen's eyes slowly opened. She met face to face with the one she thought of a guardian angel to call her own. In an instant, Karen went forward and collided against him in a mixture of joy and despair. There she buried her face into his chest, oblivious to the fact that his costume was saturated from the rain. But neither of them seemed to care. Kenny was taken aback; he had never seen Karen act this way before. Usually their meetings were brief but encouraging and… this was not one of them.

"You're here!" she sobbed. "Angel, I—I was s-so…"

The seven-year-old hiccupped and rubbed a damp cheek against his chest, trying to hide herself away from the world. The tears pricked the corners of her eyes again. Holding a heavy heart on his shoulders, Mysterion wrapped his arms around Karen and pulled her closer to him. He began to run a hand over her mousy-brown hair, attempting to calm her down.

"Shh… shh, Karen," he hushed her in his usual raspy voice, rubbing his free hand up and down her back. But then he let a gentler tone seep through his voice to make her feel more relaxed. "I'm here; everything's all right. It was just a nightmare. You're safe now."

She always felt so composed when she heard her guardian angel speak. Although it appeared to be gruff and slightly menacing, she took comfort in it. He, out of everyone and everything in the whole wide world, was her sanctuary. She could talk to him about almost anything. With another shudder, Karen nuzzled the damp fabric of Mysterion's attire before lifting her head to look at him. Fresh tears emerged from her eyes and Mysterion gingerly wiped them away with a gloved thumb. The weight of her face fell into the palm of his hand, seeking warmth and comfort. The expression that Karen wore nearly broke Kenny's heart.

"Please, Karen," he pleaded gravelly, "… please, don't cry. I hate to see you cry."

She sniffled and wiped her new tears with her pajama sleeve. "O-okay, Guardian Angel. I'll try."

The little girl perked up a shy smile and was rewarded with a few fingers combing through her back hair. Karen shivered from the cold again. Mysterion broke his gaze away from her, as though he were in deep thought. Suddenly he got an idea. He stood, pulling Karen to her feet in the process.

* * *

Knowing that they'd probably be stricken with guilt, Stan and Kyle decided to wait up for Kenny. Cartman was still fast asleep and was certainly dreaming of a cheesy poof factory drizzled in chocolate-covered donut holes by a raging chocano. If they woke him up, he'd probably gripe and call Kyle a dream-destroying Jew or something even worse; so it really didn't matter anyway. They had crept downstairs and decided to play a round of Xbox until Kenny returned from his (promising) victorious night of crime-fighting.

They were in the middle of an important game when they heard a rapping on the window. Stan and Kyle turned and saw the familiar figure of Mysterion glancing into the living room. Kyle paused the game while Stan marched over to the door and opened it. Mysterion and Karen McCormick were standing on the front porch in the rain. Kyle joined Stan and they both stared in wonder at the caped crusader and his little sister.

"Hey," Mysterion greeted them. "Sorry for the intrusion; I wish neither of you harm."

Kyle smiled. "It's cool, dude. Hey! Aren't you Kenny's little sister, Karen?"

The little girl smiled brightly and hugged her doll tightly. "Yeah, I am. My guardian angel told me that Kenny was waiting for me… um… I know that it's supposed to be a boy's slumber party and I wasn't invited—"

"Oh, no, Karen, it's okay," insisted Stan. "Come on in. We'll get you dried off and then you can go see your brother."

Karen's grinned broadened. Beside her, Kenny seemed a little anxious and thought her face was going to break from smiling so big. His little sister turned to him and gave him a side hug.

"Thank you so much for bringing me here! It really means a lot, Guardian Angel."

"You're welcome, Karen."

Stan took Karen by the hand and led her into the house. Kyle leaned nonchalantly into the door frame, arching an eyebrow with a smile as Kenny covered up a cough with a balled fist.

"You're such a damn good big brother, Kenny."

Kenny heaved a sigh; his back slouched as he looked at the cold ground of snow below him. He left without replying to his friend, but he took Kyle's compliment to the heart.

He then climbed into the first opened window that he saw and took his chances… but then he totally regretted it afterwards. Kenny cursed under his breath. Randy Marsh was sitting on the toilet, reading a newspaper. The geologist looked up and raised an eyebrow, but stared anyway. Mysterion stared back. The staring contest went on for several seconds until Stan's father gave in. Randy turned away, scratching his mustache.

"Well… this is awkward," he mumbled to himself.

To make things even more uncomfortable for the both of them, a giant plop in the toilet was heard.


End file.
